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Tuesday, November 22, 2022
Could ‘for colored girls’ and ‘1776’ mark a turning point for visibly pregnant actors on Broadway?
Broadway News: For as long as pregnant people have been able to work, they’ve confronted the tension around working while pregnant — especially on Broadway where appearance can actually factor into the job.
Within six months of each other, two actors in separate Broadway productions began performances while visibly, obviously pregnant.
This is a cool article. Being pregnant in the theatre industry is hard. It’s hard in any industry but I feel it is super difficult in theatre when you are on stage or backstage. On stage gives the complications of your body changing and how that affects your movement, blocking, and costuming. Backstage that can affect your capabilities to do your job if you are prohibited from doing certain activities. Both sides have the challenge of being on your feet for a long time. This is a huge breakthrough in accessibility. If accommodations can be made for them, then accommodations can be made for other physical impairments. I like the argument made on the metaphorical front to keep the woman who played jefferson in 1776 in the show. It’s amusing that the audience bought it so well that they think the actor is not actually pregnant but it is a costume/directorial choice for the role.
I feel like it's fair to say that a large number of individuals choose not to have children in order to be successful in their career. Children can come later; or not at all. Parents who go through pregnancy and childbirth are either highly praised for their ambition or terribly judged for their "neglectful parenting." While, obviously, pregnancy should be no indicator of whether or not someone is qualified for a job, there are several other factors that come into play in different industries. In theater, being pregnant can in fact influence your ability to work whether it be as a performer or part of the production team. Regardless, I still believe that it's important to create any accommodations necessary to "level the playing field," and it's good to see some steps being made in that direction. No one should miss out on a job opportunity due to being pregnant unless it has a negative effect on their health.
2 comments:
This is a cool article. Being pregnant in the theatre industry is hard. It’s hard in any industry but I feel it is super difficult in theatre when you are on stage or backstage. On stage gives the complications of your body changing and how that affects your movement, blocking, and costuming. Backstage that can affect your capabilities to do your job if you are prohibited from doing certain activities. Both sides have the challenge of being on your feet for a long time. This is a huge breakthrough in accessibility. If accommodations can be made for them, then accommodations can be made for other physical impairments. I like the argument made on the metaphorical front to keep the woman who played jefferson in 1776 in the show. It’s amusing that the audience bought it so well that they think the actor is not actually pregnant but it is a costume/directorial choice for the role.
I feel like it's fair to say that a large number of individuals choose not to have children in order to be successful in their career. Children can come later; or not at all. Parents who go through pregnancy and childbirth are either highly praised for their ambition or terribly judged for their "neglectful parenting." While, obviously, pregnancy should be no indicator of whether or not someone is qualified for a job, there are several other factors that come into play in different industries. In theater, being pregnant can in fact influence your ability to work whether it be as a performer or part of the production team. Regardless, I still believe that it's important to create any accommodations necessary to "level the playing field," and it's good to see some steps being made in that direction. No one should miss out on a job opportunity due to being pregnant unless it has a negative effect on their health.
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